Cave of rishi Ved Vyasa. The cave is in the shape of a book!

Once I had gone on a pilgrimage a few years ago in the Himalayan region. I have had the wonderful  opportunity of sitting in silence in the cave of the great rishi Ved Vyas in a village called Mana near Badrinath.

Sage Ved Vyas is the writer of Holy Bhagwat Gita, the brilliant book on self realization and knowledge of the Supreme. It was there that I had a brief unspoken mental communication with the spirit of the rishi. I was informed that I was a blessed soul because it is with the kripa or grace of Swami Nityananda that I was able to comprehend the doctrine of Karma although theoretically I had understood it on the surface long time ago. I have been able to understand since then the meaning of shlokas, verses  of Gita far better and learnt how our actions have an effect on us now and in future and hence in turn changing the course of lives to come.

It is true that since I took sanctuary in Swami  Nityananda of Ganeshpuri for spiritual and worldly solace, I have been able to understand the ideology of Karma and correspondingly also its demonstration in practical life cases.

He has  since the time of my establishing immense faith in him, revealed and explained in detail with examples in my everyday life the working of the cause and effect, the meaning of Karma and karmafal, fruits of our actions and how one’s life depends, shapes, re-moulds on the karmas that we perform. And even so, why and what for are we distressed or enjoying the present life phase with clarity and exactitude.

All along in my life predominantly during lean periods, I used to become desperate and anxious to control the flow of adverse circumstances by altering my own thoughts positively, but all  in vain. It was during such times that I reflected on how one can have control of his life and how not to allow ill effects of past actions to impact me gravely. The earnest desire to have a control over my life led me to believe and trust that there is a master key to all this and the saints are the knower of this riddle called karma. Not only that, they are even possessors of the master key to this  serious puzzling riddle I soon understood.

My intense search and thereafter serendipitous turn of events, took me to Ganeshpuri in those days where I was blessed by His holiness Swami Nityananda who gave me silent initiation or deeksha right at the outset by awakening my intuitive faculties. In the course of this process, He sharpened my sixth sense by clearing my mind of the cobwebs of past karmic influences. Since then, He has been bestowing on me the puzzling knowledge of karma and as each day passes, I get a clearer insight on what happens when we do a particular action and how we suffer because of the imminent consequences. Simultaneously, which actions are to be performed, what attitude should be kept and what decision should be taken based on the given insight. Which actions should I perform, which one should I never even think of, leave alone do, and which ones will give me lasting happiness and joy? How can I not have desire or ego yet do my duties so that I am able to offer every bit of my action to the Supreme? All these philosophical questions which were always haunting me have been thoroughly answered by Nityananda Baba’s graciousness during meditation and lull state of mind. And to embark on this great voyage, I will  first quote two relevant quotes from the Holy Bhagwad Gita.

 Chapter -4

Kim karma kimkarmaeti kavyoapyatra mohita I

Tatte karma pravkshyami yagygyatva mokshyaseshubhat II 16

What is action and what is inaction? Even men of intelligence are puzzled over this question. Therefore I shall expound to you the truth about action, knowing which you will be freed from its evil effects, its binding nature.

Karmano huapi bodhvyam ch vikarmana: I

Akarmanashch bodhvyam gahana karmano gati: II 17

The truth about action must be known and the truth about inaction also must be known; even so the truth about prohibited action must be known. For mysterious are its ways.

First of all let us consider three important terms which are in Sanskrit in verse no.17.  They are – karma, vikarma and akarma.

Karma literally means ‘to do’. Karma means an action or an activity that we perform.

Vikarma are the prohibited actions called sins or paap in Hindi. Paap are of three types-  paap, mahapaap and jaghanya paap.

These are sins in increasing order and in intensity and therefore severe punishment is ordained by the lord through nature.( Refer  post-How to live today-?)

Akarma means non attachment to an action

Akarma-doing what is right for us at that moment by submitting our desire, will or ego and being unaffected by its following outcome, knowing completely well that it is in our best interest although at that moment our mind may not be at rest and we might have doubts on the abilities of God’s power.  This is the main underlying principle, the essence of the sacred book Gita where Bhagwan Krishna preaches Arjuna not to worry about the consequences of his actions and do whatever Krishna tells him because Krishna is antaryami, the knower of all the buried thoughts, the knower of all our past and future lives. Being akarmi or non doer is a state of mind, it is the door to heaven, a means to gain stability of mind, the secret of enjoying uninterrupted joy and a release from appalling effects in the form of sorrow, gloom, mental tension, pain, misfortune, poverty etc in future.

Our actions are performed in three ways- physically, verbally and mentally Kayic, vachic, mansik respectively.

Mansik karmas Out of all these, maximum karmas are created by an individual mentally and quietly by thinking evil thoughts, manipulating and scheming, planning ill of others, jealousy, distrust and other such damaging thought processes. Actions based on such thoughts unquestionably construct negative results either now or in future. These karmas are termed mansik karmas. Simultaneously positive karmas are also created mentally when we visualize positively, do constructive things for the welfare of all and wish well for others.

As humans are more prone to create negative karmas mentally, the solution to this is meditation and other concentration techniques to stop wavering and running of mind. The mind is fidgety by nature but a calm and contolled mind provokes us to act wisely and think prudently.

Vachik karmas are those actions which are performed verbally.

Draupadi called Duryodhana a blind man spontaneouslly and alas she had to go through such terrible times since she had to face untold hardships later in her life although she regretted her unthinking act. Most of us speak whatever we feel like unaware that every word is being recorded, good or bad. ‘Think before you speak’ is a very significant line to remember as this piece of wisdom is very helpful in all circumstances.

Kayic karmas Kaya in Sanskrit means body hence it is simple to understand that actions performed by the body means kayic karma.   Gita  is more explicit when it is said that actions are performed with karam indriya, i.e. The organs of actions are hands, legs, sex organs, and the rest of the four senses. Actions performed with tongue is in the category of vachik karma.

So Lord Krishna advises Arjuna that although the mind is extremely restless and almost impossible to control, you can curb it by bringing it back to a still point repeatedly and by being dispassionate towards worldly attachments- that is do abhyas and vairagya.

Abhyas means practice and vairagya means dispassion.

As maximum karmas are constructed clandestinely with the mind, it is repeatedly stressed by the saints to control the mind and the senses. So remembrance of God, meditation, silencing and controlling the mind by stopping it from running here and there by various  techniques  is a good karma. 

 (To be continued)

Written on the eve of Holi, the celebration day with the transmission of ethereal, astral rays of Swami Nityananda’s kind grace . A gift of revelation, insight and clearing of the cloudy dust of ignorance by the symbolic fires of Holika on an auspicious day)

What is Kundalini Shakti?

Kundalini Shakti is the procreation energy lying unused at the lower region of the body for very long. People who follow Tantra Yoga are those people who worship the feminine form of the Universal Force. They perceive the Universe as feminine energy and wish to have atma sakshat or God realization by arousing and stirring up Kundalini Shakti in them. The various forms or depiction of Kundalini Shakti in Indian mythology are of Goddess Durga, Kali, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi and a few others. They all are various images and forms of Divine Mother with different powers attained for different purposes in this universe. Ultimately all the devotees of Divine Mother have one goal whether they are aware of it or not- to realize God by worshiping the eternal Primary Force as feminine.

In our body, we have three main nadis or life currents-Ida, Pingala and Sushmna. In most of the persons at the normal level of consciousness, the energy currents pass through only two channels Ida and Pingala. The central Sushumna is dormant. Ida lies to the left side and has cool currents and is compared to the moon, while Pingala is located to the right and compared to the Sun and has warm currents passing through it. Sushumna is situated in the centre of both these nadis. It remains dormant and cannot be accessed without proper activation and expert supervision. It plays a crucial role for the sadhak at an advanced stage of spiritual intensification and expansion. Activation of Sushumna is mandatory for higher realizations.

Importance of Sushumna Nadi

If one takes a peep inside our spine, it will show that it is a hollow tube and is like a conduit pipe in which are located multitude of nerves or nadis and nerve ends. The fact is that out of these three nadis majority of people function on only the two nerve channels-ida and pingala as there is no current in the middle nadi and one may wonder why. Sushuma is a special nerve used for carrying very fine currents of electromagnetic rays from higher levels of Consciousness. Once this is aroused, the man is capable of approaching and accessing very high levels of knowledge and subtle comprehension as well as divine perceptions. Kundalini  Shakti is often compared to a serpent with three and half coils. It is believed so for the simple reason that Sushumna is coiled at the base, at the tip of the tail bone lying floppy and curled. To demystify the myth, please know that it is coiled and curly just because it has no current passing through it and is in disuse for so long as has been explained in detail in the text of previous post. One activated it is straightened up.

At the subtlest level, the release at last

At muladhar chakra lie the remnant energies of present and past life incarnations which block the Kundalini Shakti. The dust like energies which are in many layers cover the Sushumna. But when the soul begins to redeem itself through purification by doing good karmas, silence, peace, doing meditation, pranayam,  eating saatvik food, his mind and heart becomes dirt-free. Dust of ego, vanity, desires, greed and similar vices begin to fade away as he undergoes intense tapas. At this juncture, the Guru wherever he is, through his prakash punj or blazing light sends his disciple shakti through his sankalpa, mind power which we call shakti paat. This is transmission of rays of Divine light through mind power. That light enters and penetrates our navel and whatever unharvested seeds of karmas are still remaining in the muladhar are now disintegrated and burnt by the guru.

The specific action consequently reduces our karmic suffering in the future to come by eliminating difficult life situations in the form of diseases, lack of prosperity, physical sufferings, bad luck and mental  turbulence and so on. As the Light from the Guru arrives at the navel area, the dormant Sushumna begins to throb. That’s why people may find tingling sensations at the base on arousal of Kundalini Shakti. The Shakti after stirring up muladhar chakra, rotates and spins spirally inside the spinal cord cleaning the conduit pipe. The vortexes or energy chakras get cleaned up of the lying of unwanted elements of toxins and debris of future karmic consequences as the shakti rises up.

The risen supposed serpent or Kundalini cleans the lower chakras and when it rushes and reaches the agya chakra, the blazing light intensifies our vision by giving us clarity of thoughts and finer perceptions. With this light are awakened many other micro nadis which help us to cultivate and open of the third eye, Shiva’s third eye providing paranormal vision and sixth sense. Thus an apparatus and a medium are created through which we can now connect directly to the Cosmic Consciousness without effort. The third eye is the door to heaven because communication with the Almighty is possible through intuition, a faculty in humans which can never mislead or misguide us. Meditation aids in further fine tuning with the voice of God. Intuition or the sixth sense is extremely essential for humans because there is no possibility of erring and suffering as the Voice of God will always tell you to do actions which are in welfare of all.

The silent and extremely gentle shakti further moves up from agya chakra to the upper portions of the body reaching the cerebrum or sahastrar chakra to act on it. The crown chakra is the centre of God realization and divine illumination. The whole process takes a few weeks or months or years or lives depending on each individual’s positive force of good karmas and is not an instant phenomenon as made out to be by some unthinking people.

As explained earlier, smriti is a very important factor and  tool in God realization. In smriti lies embedded all the memories of past life incarnations that we have ever lived since our inception. With activation of Kundalini, we are able to see some important phases and landmarks of a few past and future lives. In this way, God helps us to relive our past lives by being so compassionate and understanding. Alongside with the activation and glimpse of our previous lives, are also washed the pain, sorrow, separation from beloveds, remorse, grief and trauma of sad incidents and other life altering experiences. The remembrance of good memories and happy incidents give us hope and joy. A new wave of creative powers is inducted whereby one sees unexpected talents, gifts and special abilities in himself because of this shakti.

Subsequent to this, another portion of the smriti is opened up in due course after past lives’ regression. And that is the memory or smriti of God as Light that was experienced at our inception and forgotten for such a very long spell. The kind Guru gives us an experience of face to face with God represented as blazing Light. And in that radiating light are burnt all the possibilities of ever erring in future and an end to all our troubles and entrapment of directionless re-incarnations!!

God is perfect happiness

Once the smriti, the memory of oneness with Divinity is revived, we experience bliss of exceedingly sweet nature unknown so far to us. The nectar of bliss cannot be compared with anything of this fleeting world because of anshik or imperfect happiness in this imperfect world! And God is perfect happiness. And thus at last, comes to an end our long yatra or journey which had started off way back in time and space over millions of years. The tormented soul is liberated at last to bathe in bliss and peace!!

What is not Kundalini Shakti ?

• It is not sexual energy. It should also not be used for sexual activities to empower oneself unethically. In fact it is procreation energy which helps us to evolve and advance faster in spiritual unfolding.
• It is not a serpent. Serpent is only a comparison, a metaphor to understand the concept. God allowed only graphic interpretation so far hence we have so many types of illustrations of Goddess Shakti and yantra and chakras.
• The serpent is not coiled. In fact the Sushumna nadi is coiled at the base because of deactivation. Sushumna and the other nerves at the head are in a cluster and look like a hood of a snake with its tail at the end of the spine. Hence it is said that the serpent is coiled three and a half times at the base.
• Once the shakti is revived, the emergence of extra-ordinary abilities and skills are not possessed at random by the recipient. They are the abilities which we had acquired in our past lives and are stored in the memory and re-emerged as the electric currents passed through the brain. But further acquiring of more genius qualities is possible only with our  continuous efforts of today.

Conclusion

Two main purposes of activating Kundalini Shakti

• to open sahasrar chakra
• To arouse smriti

Tantra is a holy ancient science of revival powers. People mishandle and misapply it and use it in place of black magic, sorcery, voodoo, and other sciences of natural forces. Beware of those people who misguide you in the garb of religion, yoga or spirituality.

Sarva mangalam maangaleye Shive sarvarth sadhike I

Sharanye Trayambake Gauri Narayani namostute II

Meaning: O Mother! You are the personification of all that is auspicious. You are the benevolent form of Lord Shiva. You bestow Divine energy and help people achieve righteousness, wealth, fulfill desires and liberation. You are  worthy of being surrendered to. Three eyes adorn you O Devi! O Narayani Devi I pay obeisance to you!

(With this post are concluded the series of four topics on yogic diet, mind empowerment and dormant energies called Kundalini Shakti or coiled, dormant energies)

The predicament

It was in 1998 I remember very explicitly that my serious search for God and answers for perplexing questions became a frenzied preoccupation when after spending more than fourteen years with a spiritual group, I still could not figure out how God was to be found. I would attend and listen to the lectures regularly, was consistent and would spend many hours in serious thoughts trying to transform myself into a better person. But during those fourteen years I could not get to make out even once how to ultimately find God within oneself. After I left that group, one fine day I instinctively went to Aurobindo Ashram of Delhi and sat by myself in the meditation hall quietly. I prayed very fervently to Divine Mother that day to please divulge which is the most exact method to know God and where should I set off from here. I must have sat there for a few minutes subsequently after which I left the hall and visited the adjoining book store. I looked around the place and picked up a small number of books to find an answer for my lingering and haunting question – What is the fastest, surest and fool proof method to realize God in this life?

And it was after reading a few books of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo, that I sifted and churned the essence of all the text that I read and discovered that the definite and surest way to find God within is by meditation. The revelation of the truth was further corroborated when in my sleep soon after, I had a vision of Sri Raman Maharishi of Tirruvannamalai who had a serene face with a gentle smile as though blessing me. On another occasion I got a darshan  or direct vision of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa of Dakshineshwar (West Bengal) who was meditating in a temple with an idol of a Goddess  with a red curtain behind her.  I was very intrigued with these extra sensory perceptions and wondered what is the meaning of the puzzling events in my life. What is the significance of these dreams, I thought to myself. Very soon, all the saints’ views converged when I became fully aware of the truth that without meditating one can never be acquainted with and know what is God, its nature and how to communicate with that one Universal Force.

That’s how I started the initial steps at home when I would concentrate trying to stop my frittering mind by practicing meditation. It was my first step alone in learning that art and skill without any outside support system whatsoever.  Although I must admit today that it was  not easy for me to sit motionless in one place at that time. But once I understood that this method is the confirmed, safest and the surest approach, I was ready to struggle hard to discipline my body and the ever wandering and agitating mentality. Unless the mind became very still, how can one ever perceive the peaceful nature of God?

One may wonder how I spent so many years in pursuit of something yet not get to the core.  Now fourteen years is a very long time in someone’s life to dedicate for a genuine cause and get nothing much in return.  But I have no qualms about it because now I know and can tell you for sure what not to do in the spiritual journey if you have decided to seriously mould your present life and not go off target in this life also!!

Role of a Self Realized Guru or Gurus

Please note, if a spiritual teacher does not tell you at the outset that God resides right there inside you and learn to meditate to immerse in divine joy and bliss which is the real  nature of God that clearly means that you have not yet met the omnipresent and universal spiritual teacher and Guide. Out of so many, it is just a handful Masters who can give you salvation through divine perceptions with their own power or shakti. They help us to overcome the load of past karmas of many lives by working out on themselves some of them and freeing us of the ill effects which we were supposed to reap sometime later. They tell us what is right and what is wrong for us  in order to reap only advantageous effects. They also advise us about  which specific actions and sadhana to perform in order for our soul to be liberated from fruits of past actions and to simultaneously create a bright future. We are helped and supported to exhaust the sanchit karmas which are the  accumulated karmas of many incarnations. They disclose to us the hidden mysteries of life and death, reincarnation, laws of karmas, knowledge of the working of Nature on micro and macro level, secrets of human evolution and the key to this whole web mire of Maya or delusion. That’s how a soul can escape the grip and trap of delusion and inescapable harmful effects in the form of unbearable mental and physical suffering!!! That’s salvation of the soul when one can be totally detached and not be affected by Maya and most of the time be in uninterrupted Ananda!!!

The dangers

While the rest of the so called gurus have only a few temporary supernatural powers called siddhis and they usually pull the wool over somebody’s eyes!

On behalf of the wish of His Holiness and revered Sri Mahavatar Babaji, I am now about to throw some light on Kundalini Shakti for all the readers and his devotees simply for the fact that the world is filled with inexpert and inept counselors and advisers. As the subject is sombre, we will go a bit slow and step by step to begin with this issue. The forthcoming articles are condensed in nature and self explanatory.

Aim of spiritual practices or sadhana and preparation for Self realization

The main aim of Hatha yoga, Kriya Yoga or Pranayam is to awaken the dormant divine power in humans termed as Kundalini Shakti. This store house of creative and regeneration power lying unused for centuries in the lower abdomen should not be stirred up or roused with one’s own craving or passions since ill effects may be produced thereafter and the person may not be able to control them. This happens because tendencies of ego are not erased entirely from the subconscious mind or chitta of that person. The heart and mind of the sadhak should be first purified by tapas, penance and intense sadhana as per the guidance and instructions of self-realized Gurus and  spiritual mentors. The safest way to stir up the inactive force is only through Guru’s wish and his Grace by Shakti Paat, transmitted through his/her sankalp or mere thought.

What is Shakti paat or tranmission of spiritual energies?

Shakti means force and paat means to fall. With only a mere ( sankalp) thought or will, the God realized guru can transmit his own divine power to rouse, open up the Kundalini Shakti where ever he or she is. It can also be transmitted with his touch  (sparsh)  with or without his presence and sight (drishti).  Shakti paat can be done with three ways-through Sankalpa, sparsh, and drishti. In other words an enlightened Guru is capable to transfer his or her energies in a few ways like thought, touch and sight. Out of all these, the transmission of energy through the medium of sankalp  or Guru’s will and thoughts is the safest way and the least trouble free. The guru chooses from his many disciples only those who are prepared and ready for enlightenment and liberation and whose last traces of residual shreds of ego accrued over many births called vasanas or egoism are remaining. And those who are not ready yet, either mentally or physically are not touched upon by the Guru because they will not be able to withstand the upheavals and uproar which may arise after shakti paat in the form of drastic life changes and situations, some very unfavourable and the others extremely favourable.

(Refer How to have lasting peace within our hearts-I)

The mind and the body, particularly the existing nervous system needs to be made fully prepared for further reorganizing and renewal of brain cells before and after the transmission. All along, the Guru plays a very significant role in this period of drastic transformation ensuring that the awakening of the storehouse is smooth and does not produce any complications specifically on the brain and the fragile nervous system.

First signs of awakening

The first signs of awakening of Kundalini Shakti in the recipient are -losing interest in non spiritual and worldly bustle and engagements, stability and clarity of mind, cultivation of intuition, clairvoyance, heightened creative abilities, reading other people’s minds, increase in sixth sense, less requirement of food and sleep, a sense of loss of body consciousness and experiencing extra sensory perceptions during deep meditation with the kind and compassionate Grace of Guru.

(After many years, I got an opportunity to visit Dakshineshwar when I shifted to Mumbai. In the temple of Kali Ma in Dakshineshwar, the view of the temple was identical to the vision I had years ago)

  Ma Kali

(Courtesy Google images)

           (To be continued)

Types of foods

Chapter 17

Bhagwat Geeta  verses 8,9,10

Ayuhsatvabalaarogya sukhpritivivardhanah I

Rasyah snigdhah sthirahridhya aaharah saatvikpriyah II

Foods which promote longevity, intelligence, vigour, health, happiness and cheerfulness and which are sweet, bland, substantial and naturally agreeable are dear to the Saatvik type of men.

Kattamalalavanatyushnateekshnarukshavidahina I

Aahara rajasyeshta dukhshokaamyaprada II

Foods which are bitter, acidic, salty, over hot or spicy, pungent, dry and burning and which cause suffering, grief and sickness are dear to the Rajasik type of men.

Yatayamam gataras puti paryushitam cha yat I

Uchchishtmapi chamedhyam bhojanam tamaspriyam II

Food which is half cooked or half ripe, insipid, putrid, stale and polluted, and which is impure too, is dear to men of Tamasik disposition.

Food for yoga sadhana

We are going to discuss yogic diet for those people who want to lead a life of a yogi, the one whose mind is engaged with God. First of all, give up smoking and drinking because no mater how good the food is, alcohol and tobacco are going to bring down the quality of food and harm your system. Instead of drinking alcohol, do physical exercise which will digest the food, de-stress you and improve the overall health of the body and mind.

• Abstain from pork and beef preparations. They will make the mind slow in intelligence and agility.
• Food should be eaten consciously and not absentmindedly. Eating slowly and relishing every bite helps in digestion and assimilation.

• Reduce sugar, oil and salt intake to healthy proportions.
• For proteins, eat plant proteins instead of animal proteins and consume dairy products for Saativik or spiritual thoughts and mentality.
• Water, fibre, some raw food items like fruits, salad is essential in everyday food to aid digestion and elimination.
• Avoid artificial sweetening, colours, scents and flavouring as much as possible. And also food with preservatives should be avoided as far as possible. Instead consume foods in natural form and taste.
• Reduce and avoid eating sticky foods, particularly maida or baking flour and deep fried foods.
• Eat seasonal, locally grown foods according to age, activity, gender and temperament.
• Avoid situations of worries, stress and tension. For relaxation of mind and  muscles, take massage therapy, do meditation of some kind, sing chants or devotional music and pursue other hobbies of your choice. Go for long walks for unwinding as well as de-stressing.
• Include all the parts of the plant in your food-starting from fruits, flowers, stems, leaves, roots and even seeds. All the parts of a plant should be incorporated in our food and diet.
• The food should be soft containing enough water content and palatable in taste.
• It should not emit smell that displeases our senses. The aroma of food should be appetizing and pleasing.
• Avoid very sour, very sweet, very hot, spicy and pungent foods.
• Consume natural sugar available in fresh fruits, vegetables and dry fruits.
• Eat foods of all colours like red, green, purple, yellow etc Eg.  tomatoes, spinach, brinjal, corn, papaya, watermelon, bananas, grapes etc.
• Food should have nutrition for all the chakras or centres starting from mool aadhar chakra or root center to sahasrar chakra or crown chakra. Partake food and nutrition for physical, mental and spiritual activities. Our diet should be a complete package of food for relaxation, rejuvenation and restoration.
• Add micro nutrients and supplements as daily intake. The advanced yogis eat  food which not only restores and preserves health but also for inducing anti- aging processes of mental and physical body. All the foods that have antioxidants are anti ageing.

This reminds me that when I went for a pilgrimage in the Himalayas in the summer for Char Dham yatra, I had decided to trek throughout the whole trip instead of hiring a pony or take a helicopter. But the food that was supplied by the organizers was inappropriate and badly planned. Just before we were to start our long trek, we should have been given good quality proteins and carbohydrates instead of giving fried food items. The supposedly tasty fried food did not serve my purpose as I could not walk up on foot all the way up as a lot of energy was being spent on digesting the fried food. I trekked quite a bit but I could have trekked on all the routes provided the diet was right. Therefore, our diet should be right and we must have knowledge of food science and must be aware of what we eat and why we should  eat a particular diet.

Breath control

 Refer Bhagwat Geeta Chapter 4,  verses 29/30

Apane juhivti pranam praneapanam tathapare I

Pranaapangati ruddhwa pranayamparayanaah II

Apare niyatahaarah prananpraneshu juhavati I

Sarvepyete yagyavido yagyakshapitkalmashi II

Translation-Other yogis offer the act of exhalation into that of inhalation, even so other, the act of inhalation into that of exhalation. There are still others given to practice of Pranayam (breath control), who having regulated their diet and controlled the process of exhalation and inhalation both pour their vital airs themselves. All these have their sins consumed away by sacrifice and understand the meanings of sacrificial worship.

This shloka is about performing sacrifices or yagyas with many things, one of them sacrificing the prana and indicates observing the incoming and outgoing breath through the scientific techniques developed by sages for regulating breathing.

Pranayam

The word Pranayam is comprised of two Sanskrit words ‘prana’ plus ‘ayama’.

Prana means life force, ayamam means extension or expansion. In totality, it means extending one’s life by extending the length of breath by breathing systematically by applying some breathing techniques for various aspects of respiration and mastering inhalation and exhalation.

Pranayam utilises breathing to influence and increase the flow of prana or life force in the nadis or energy routes/channels of the energy body called pranamaya kosha, the life force sheath or body of a human being.

The various techniques of Pranayam are the methods whereby the life force can be first activated and then regulated and expanded in order to go beyond one’s normal limitation and reach a higher state of awareness and vibratory energies.

Prana is the force which exists in all animate and inanimate things. Pranayam is generally defined as breath control but it does not convey the full meaning. Therefore, it should not be understood or considered as mere breathing exercises aimed at supplying extra oxygen into the lungs.

Steps of Pranayama

There are four aspects or steps of Pranayama–

1. Inhalation or pooraka
2. Exhalation or rechaka
3. Internal breath retention or Antar Kumbhak (Kumbhak means pot)
4. External breath retention or Bahir Kumbhak

The different practices of Pranayam consists various techniques which involve the above stated aspects of breathing.

However, at the higher stage of Pranayam  which occurs during advanced stages of meditation, there is another mode of Pranayam which is called ‘Kevala Kumbhak’ or spontaneous breath retention. During this higher state, the fluctuation of prana ceases and breathing stops for some moments and simultaneously high level of awareness and complete oneness with Reality is attained. Body consciousness drops for those exclusive moments. There is complete stillness of mind and the life force used for breathing suspends. It is the precursor and beginning of experiencing Cosmic Consciousness.

In fact, one must know that the most important part of Pranayam is actually Khumbhak or breath retention. But this  should not be done forcibly as it comes with gradual development of breath control and respiration. In order to strengthen the lung capacity, nervous and pranic systems, more emphasis should be given on inhalation and exhalation in the beginning. Gradually at one particular stage, with Guru’s Grace and benevolence, the Kevala Kumbhak or the stage of oneness with the Infinite is attained

Pachkosha, five sheaths Furthermore, the  human body comprises of five sheaths, bodies or koshas, beginning from gross to more subtle, which account for different aspects and functions of human existence  and they are known as-

1. Annamaya kosha– the food or material body
2. Manomaya kosha- the mental body
3. Pranamaya kosha- Bioplasmic or vital energy
4. Vijnanamaya– The psychic or higher mental
5. Anandmaya Kosha– the transcendental or bliss body

Although all five sheaths function together to form an integral whole, the practice of Pranayam deals mainly with pranamaya kosh.

Correlation between breath and our health

Most people breathe incorrectly using only a small part of their lung capacity, thereby depriving the body of oxygen and prana so essential for all the vital processes and activities of every cell. Prana is also extremely vital for the performance of our brain functioning.

Pranayam corrects our posture to start with, introduces correct breathing habits, strengthens the muscles of the back and pulmonary cavity.

It also establishes a regular breathing pattern, breaking the irregular breathing habits. Rhythmic, slow and deep breathing calms the mind and also endows longevity in humans because respiration is directly related to the heart. A slow, rhythmic rate makes the heart stronger and better nourished and healthier. Deep regular breathing increases the absorption of life force in Pranayam resulting in vigour and vitality and well being of the practitioner.

Pranayam removes the blockages in the various nadis, the energy channels of life force thereby enabling increased absorption and retention of prana. As the sadhak or spiritual practitioner requires a calm state of mind the Pranayam techniques are very useful in this endeavour.

Once the mind is stilled, the gateway to higher Cosmic Consciousness opens leading the seeker to higher states of awareness and evolution.

Some types of Pranayams are:- Nadi Shodhana Pranayam, Bhastrika Pranayam, Kapalabati. A teacher’s guidance is essentially for its practice.

For reference and more information on Yoga, you may take help of this book-

‘Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha’ by Swami Satyananda Saraswati of Bihar School of Yoga.

Swami Dayananda Shaligram of Ganeshpuri

It is 2.20 a.m of 12^th Oct, 2009. Last night, I completed my previous article after revising and editing it on how to make our mind firm and steady. I had to conclude the article so that I could go and spend some time in Pondicherry in meditation and reflection for reviewing my growth and come to a decision where to set off from there. And by the time I would return, the next article should be ready before 30th to make an entry of this month. I was contemplating upon all this and well, also on what I should write next. I kept in mind Swami Dayananda Shaligram of Ganeshpuri, whose nature is omnipresent and who is my constant spiritual companion, to assist and guide me in this serious effort and continuing endeavour of mine. I also thought in the direction of this- That the next post should be related to practical life skills and it should not be very introspective in nature and full of gravity for the time being, at least. Thinking hard of all this, I fell asleep last night. These days my mind is most of the time engrossed in pondering, in keeping up with and updating  my blog and thereafter in practicing what I write for all of us.

My eyes opened at 2.20 a.m. sharp and I came to a wakeful state and found myself speaking these words clearly- ‘How to make your life extra-ordinary from ordinary’. I was bewildered and amazed to see what I was muttering to myself and wondered why. The next moment I became fully aware that I just got over with seeing a vivid, meaningful dream. Or rather I was being told telepathically through the medium of a dream, in which I was guided by Swami Shaligram what to write in my blog and that was what I had just uttered. And then, it took me a few moments to walk in the past and recall what was the last thing that I thought about before I slept as this incident must be a continuation of that deliberation. I had become fully awake by this time and decided that once I get up at 6 in the morning I will bring together and compile what I had experienced. However, revered Shaligram Swami did not allow me to sleep, instead he told me to start penning down what he was about to make me write right there and then!! He clarified that this article is for my daughter, Mandira who is blooming beautifully in every manner but needs some special guidance at the moment. So I heeded his well timed advice and obeyed him and took out my pen and register in the dark and then got up to put on the light. I sat up and opened a fresh page. The flow of words and sentences trickled and flowed on its own, effortlessly from 2.20 to 4 a.m. in the morning as I allowed his thoughts of practical wisdom and judicious advice flow through me. I did not tire neither did he, until this post was composed in one go. When I was over and done with it, I saw the time. It was exactly 4 a.m in the morning and before I left for Pondicherry, the draft of this particular entry which you are reading at this moment was ready. I was thankful and relieved at the unexpected turn of events of that morning.

After a little while, at 4.20 am when I saw the time, I remembered that it is this time at Ganeshpuri when the first kaakad ( very early morning) aarti is sung at the temple in honour of Swami Sri Nityananda, Swami Shaligram’s guru (To know more about Swami Nitynanda of Ganeshpuri, read article- Ignite the flame of illumination -I) Believing myself to be there in the hall before sunrise at wee hours and invoking Him silently and harbouring a wish in my heart that this article should benefit in abundance and do good to many, many people and readers so that their lives with the grace of Swami Nityananda and Swami Dayananda Shaligram should also become extra-ordinary. To fulfil this wish of mine, I began chanting this Holy name- Hare Nityananda, Paavan Nityananda, Hare Nityananda Paavan Nityananda ……

 This means:-

{Hare  (Ishwar, Lord)  Nityananda ( Nitya means always ananda means bliss},   Paavan  (Pure)  Nityananda 

Swami Shaligram composed this mantra when he was alive for his Param Guru Swami Nityananda and it was seen by people then that He would be immersed in this mantra chanting for hours and would be totally lost in Divine union during that time. Mantras have prolific impact on our mind, body and soul. They can lead us first from concentration to meditation and then to God union. Try and see for yourself,  mantras have their own latent powers hidden inside them (Read What is renunciation?-II to know more about his life, nature and teachings)

For your  sake, I would like to inform you that Swami Shaligram, Swami Nityananda’s recluse, yet foremost disciple who shunned public gaze, set an example for all the devotees when he was alive by dedicating his life by setting an example of an ideal disciple to his guru, Swami Nityananda. He was an epitome of devotion, surrender and self- giving. He took birth with only one mission- helping the poor and needy people and to show the sadhaks or aspiring seekers what an ideal disciple should be like. He was  like what Arjun was to Lord Krishna, a perfect disciple. No wonder Mahavatar Babaji has said these words about Swami Shaligram- “Voh mera laadla beta hai”.  He is my very dear son!

So dear readers, this article has come as a gift for all of us just before the festival of Diwali, the festival of lights and a season of celebration. May the light of the lamps of this festival light up your minds and cheer your hearts. May your life glitter with sparklers of joy and enlightenment !! With these bright and enriching thoughts, let me now proceed to reveal and talk about what Holy Swami Shaligram has told us in order to make our lives extra ordinary in  many ways. He said-

Believe in your destiny Don’t doubt your destiny which is a very big force which we carry in an embryonic state within us. Whatever we are supposed to have or get in life in future, we will definitely get and acquire in a fixed course of time. So why lose hope and have doubts in our power, abilities, or capacity to do something? Instead put all your energy and focus on achieving what you desire for.

Now why do all genuine saints ask us to believe in our destiny, one may ask or at least the atheists may ask me.

Confidence in your destiny gives you sense of satisfaction and contentment or else feelings of discontentment, jealousy and hopelessness are nursed. If you have a firm belief that whatever life has pre-decided to bestow on me, I will surely get one day, no one can take that away from me, you will have no fears or concerns and will never be overwhelmed by mental worries and anxiety. On the contrary we are sure to stay calm and we will move towards our set goals. Lord Krishna was destined to become the king of Mathura, no matter how many attempts were made by  Kansa to kill Him but he was unsuccessful in his wicked attempts.

When your time comes to get bestowed what is due to you, circumstances automatically become favourable. Try to see at present whether the forces are against you or in your favour. If they are unfavourable, try harder, intensify your efforts leave no stone unturned, you will achieve your goals. Knock every door until the opportunity arrives and knocks your door. And even if after trying nothing works then-

Have patience Cultivate patience, not little but a lot of it. Extra ordinary people are blessed with this great quality. Believe in yourself that you will be able to achieve what you have set your goals for but that will take time. Until that manifests, you must put up with every effort and that too very consistently. We tend to forget that when we do not achieve results after making many attempts at something , only patience helps.

In normal circumstances, what we do is try to do a bit of something then lose hope and eventually give up. For some results we have to work harder as it takes longer than normal to get desired results. So be it!! Achieve your aims and goals with untiring patience .

Lord Rama never gave up and had unending patience when he set out to find his abducted wife, his beloved consort, Seeta. He searched for her everywhere in the forest and in plains. And being the king of Ayodhya, he did not hesitate to ask for help from anyone whether they were animate or inanimate, high or low, rich or poor, known or unknown. He worshiped the sands of seashore of Indian Ocean and also to Lord Shiva after the battle in Lanka until he achieved what he had set for!!

Be persistent Whenever I think of persistence, I think of ants. Ants never give up and they carry such big loads on their head and to me they never seem to be getting tired of doing the same job all their lives. When they walk up, they fall umpteen times. They never say that it’s not possible to reach my destination because I keep falling. Instead, they create their own path and walk on it. You try stopping an ant who is carrying a grain of sugar up the hill you will understand what I am saying. It will never stop and instead it moves in another direction and keeps moving up. If there are people who are blocking your path, don’t complain, cry or sulk, just carve out a new path and walk in a new direction. Carve out your  new destiny by being very persistent in your efforts. Persistence really pays. No matter how long it takes to get  results, months or years, put in your efforts on a regular basis until you get what you want in life, it could be physical, material or spiritual in nature. To make our lives better and progressive material gains are also needed.

Be determined By being determined, we remain focused in our endeavours. If you are determined, you will become fearless. Determined people are afraid of nothing, not even death. They face everything that comes in front of them, they address it and move on. There are going to be problems in between, there will be short periods of darkness, you may sometimes feel hopeless but it does not  matter. Be determined and rise once more and do not rest until you have achieved what you had set out for. There are many people out there who have set up their big business houses, companies, ventures and other establishments who had no help whatsoever but they were determined to pursue to follow and chase their dreams and goals. Great athletes and sportsmen, mountaineers, climbers, freedom fighters are also people with extra ordinary determination and therefore achieve extra ordinary feats.

Control your mind and speech People who have regulated speech can control their mind easily. Our speech should be full of meaning and worth. Senseless words, senseless talking and senseless thinking depletes our energy and stops us from exploring our optimum potential. Learn to conserve energy by talking less and thinking more. A lot of energy is wasted in worthless conversation for the heck of it. Limited talking will give us more time to contemplate and meditate.

A scattered and restless mind can never achieve anything big and extra-ordinary. Try to meditate to make the mind calm, strong, powerful and dynamic to achieve whatever you want to achieve and pursue an enriching, enhanced and superior life. To extrapolate and break all limitations of mind and body, be conservative in talking and do not spend your precious energy in fruitless interactions with people.

Save time for yourself to nurture, conserve and mould your life in extraordinary ways.

People who speak less and meaningfully have the power to have an impact and can change other people’s life in many areas. So control your mind and control your speech. They both are interrelated.

Be courageous  If you look at the life of Panchali, she was one woman who was very courageous. She did not fear anything and always spoke the truth without any hesitation. She was bold enough to tell Bhishmapitamaha, the senior most member and head of the entire lineage, that he had no business to be called Pitamaha and the caretaker of Hastinapur if he did not have the courage to stop the Kauravas from insulting and disrobing her in public. She had the courage to go bemoaning to Dhritrashtraand tell him that as he had kept mum during such an ill-omened hour, ominous fate would fall on the next generations of Kauravas. She feared nobody in the huge hall where there were only men and no woman to be at her side at such a critical time.

She also decided to be on the battle field for those 18 long days at Kurukshetra till the war was over to make sure no Kaurava survives the wrath that they had called upon themselves by their own misdeeds. In the camp, she would nurse the soldiers and falling kings to the ground. She saw the gory of death and destruction and waited for Pandavas to bring the war  to an end.

After the war, like Pandavas, she too relinquished Hastinapur and chose the cold and arduous Himalayas to bring the chapter of her life to a close. All along, she chose to be with the Pandavas uptil Swarag Rohini peak, near Alaknanda river in the mighty Himalayas, next to today’s Badrinath temple where one by one, the Pandavas laid down their lives willingly as repentance and penance for the war they had fought so unwillingly!!  History pays tribute to that bold and courageous woman even today.

Women can achieve and accomplish anything and make their lives extra ordinary if they want to, provided they possess or cultivate  boldness, courage, forthrightness and fortitude. So cultivate that and fear nothing in life.

Judge your life by its quality It is in our nature to judge ourselves by comparing ourselves with someone else who has become something or seems to have achieved much more than us in terms of success and material gains.

But my dear child, I do not view and judge myself on this criteria. This is not the bench mark for me to judge people. I agree that there are many people whom I know are much more successful and are wealthier than I am in terms of career, success and wealth. Good for them!! I am not missing out on anything, I am very positive about it. On the contrary, I consider myself to be more fortunate than all others because I am able to connect to God anytime I wish to, I have my own contacts and connections! Do they have that?

I have peace in my life. Do they have peace of mind?

I have joy in my life. Do those people have joy in their life or are they in delusion and misery of some kind?

I have contentment and satisfaction. Do the very rich and visibly famous have contentment or do they crave for more?

I have unshakable faith in God. Faith that has helped me to navigate in the darkest hours of my life. Do you have sufficient faith and believe in God and his mercy and Grace?

And if yes, then you are a blessed one and a chosen one!!

Judge yourself and your life by the ‘quality of life’ that you are leading and not by the amount of material you are consuming, not by accumulating heaps and heaps of notes, gold and silver, owning estates, or if you have 200 people working under you. Think!! Change your definition of rich, beautiful and successful.

Only a true spiritual man is happy and successful in life. Someone who has understood the mystery of life, someone who has solved his complex human mind problems with the help of deep connection with the Almighty God, who has understood that this world is a temporary residence where we are supposed to give more than we take, who never looks back and does not even count his innumerable good karmas. Someone who is always rejoicing without getting any gain or success, someone who forgives all in spite of their ill temper and behaviour and someone who loves to pray and talk to god is a blessed soul. Such a person is extra ordinary, he is special, his life becomes extra ordinary.

So judge your life and yourself on this criteria and now make your life extra ordinary. It is not the number of years that we live, but the quality of life that we spend here. At this moment while explaining, I remember Abhimanyu, the star of Mahabharat. He was barely 16 years old when he died an unfortunate and tragic death in the hands of capricious and  wicked Kauravas. But he did a spectacular job by tilting the fate of the war. He helped the Pandavas in the war by not allowing Dronacharya, who had vowed to kill Yudhisthir after the death of Bhishmapitamah, either by  capturing or killing him and hence bringing the war to an end in their favour. Though Abhimanyu was such a young lad, but his contribution towards Pandavas and the human society at large was huge. He took on the responsibility of changing the course of the war and has created a place for himself in history for heroic, dauntless courage. So who lives better and how?

 People who have a sense of awareness and consciousness or people who are awake all their lives and live each day in awareness, wakefulness and gratitude are the ones who live their lives truly well.

(Bhishmapitamaha, Panchali or Draupadi, Dronacharya, Dhritrashtra and Abhimanyu are characters from Mahabharat epic. I have picked these characters as Mahabaharat is a very fascinating epic of Indian history. Lord Ram’s character is from another great epic Ramayana)

Holy Bhagwat Geeta is a song divine, the nectar of God churned after the torrid war of Mahabharat fought at Kurukshetra millenniums ago in India. It is gift of God to humanity to find the path leading to self control, mind and body discipline, devotion and self- realization. It is an ocean of wisdom for it is a book containing the highest esoteric principles. It is the essence of all Vedas, the sea of knowledge. Rishi Ved Vyasa has composed this timeless jewel.

Bhagwat Geeta’s language oh! so sweet and lucid yet the thoughts so profound that they exhibit and reveal new facets of Truth every time one attempts to read or listen to it. Therefore it remains ever-fresh, young and ever new! The Geeta scripture should be intently studied. After reading the text, its meaning, ideas, concepts, ideals and precepts should be gathered and held in mind till it percolates and is absorbed fully and ingrained in the psyche.

There was a time when my interest in this exclusive scripture was aroused and I read it many times in the past. Each verse is so full of education that is becomes imperative to be brought into practice in our daily life. Out of so many, for us some verses are favourites whose essence should be remembered throughout as they will serve as a beacon or torch of light in normal as well as difficult days in our lives. The essence and its daily practice is the key.

I have recently started to read this book once again to understand it better. During the last week although I was reading a few verses of Bhagwad Geeta carefully and trying to follow its principles, one fine evening unsuspectingly I was overwhelmed by a spate of gloomy and lonely thoughts. When I was at work, my mind would want to finish that task quickly so that I could go on to next frantically. I was also thinking of some relatives in the family more than usual. Whenever I was alone, a shooting pain would jolt me unbidden and a few drops of tears would fill up my eyes. This happened many times and I continued to hold myself back from further sliding. I was unable to retain my joyful nature and equanimity and slowly my mind nose-dived into a whirl pool of gloomy waters! My heart became heavy with some kind of unknown, unbearable weight and I could tolerate it no more. All this lingered for a few days and when I knew on one late evening that it was time for me to get out of that kind of pitiable frame of mind and salvage myself as soon as possible, I went in my room and sat in a comfortable posture on my bed, cross legged and closed my eyes.

I tried to uplift and alleviate myself by the process of prayerful meditation and tried very hard to know and stop what was troubling me so much. I pacified myself with counter positive thoughts and self-inquiry but to no avail. When my self-help techniques failed me, I opened my drawer and took out my rudraksh mala, my rosary, and began to repeat the mantra ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ with dedication. Chanting of this powerful mantra had its own effect as was visible to me in just a few moments. The uneasiness and anxiety began to dissipate and fritter away and I regained some of my calm and comfort. The heaviness began to recede and my mind got connected to Shri Mahavatar Babaji, the immortal divine being and my Param Guru. He is extremely receptive to his disciples’ bidding, cry or call and is very prompt to respond to their earnest needs. Immediately his imperceptible presence surfaced in my mind as he responded to my silent request to God for mitigating the unbearable suffering that I was undergoing. A quick interlocking of our minds and his magic began to cast a spell on me! I became very light and felt absolutely free from all mental troubles.  And in no time, as unbidden, a curious sense of tranquillity and relief came to replace the pain.

The omniscient Guru instinctively comprehended my problem and the complex issues involved with it completely. He is possessed with so many unusual incomprehensible yogic powers that we can never even imagine leave alone understand them. As he is able to peep into our many previous lives as well many lives of future with great ease, his counsel and advice is always perfect. Obviously, it never misses the point. The Master’s vision is so very far- sighted and extremely subtle and awe inspiring in nature. He pinpointed out to me that since the past 3 to 4 days my subconscious mind was ruffled because it is engaged primarily with the minds of some people who are remembering me. Although they are benefiting from it as they are receiving very healthy and beneficial vibrations while I am being depleted in energy and wellness because of their low levels of consciousness. No wonder I was feeling exhausted and out of focus, I just realized. He asked me to disconnect my mind immediately from them and fix it on Him. After doing what was asked of me, I was resurrected and instantly re-vitalized.

He made me understand a commendable piece of knowledge when He said this to me, “It is good to think of bygone happy times of your life but if you repeatedly remember it thereby creating sadness and melancholy for yourself, why think of it at all? What is the purpose of it

If your mind is not constructive in either planning for future activities or on thoughts of God realization, then you are sure to afflict yourself. A yogi neither thinks too much about his past nor does he worry and anticipate about tomorrow. This is wondering of mind. Put your mind into joyful, constructive activities and re-join your mind on God thoughts. The mind must have enough courage in itself to break the flow of redundant and repetitive thoughts so that it can receive and harvest uninterrupted flow of soul-realization and thoughts of Divine, your true companion and soul-mate!”

I was further counselled by my revered Guru,

“A yogi should always keep his mind intact on God alone, even though he does not retain people in his mind, yet the other people do attune their minds to yours sturdily and compel you to think of them with compulsion. The yogi must be clever enough to know and become conscious regarding this subtle invasion from outside and become vigil for future. Or else losing of liveliness and vigour is inevitable.”

At this juncture, I made up my mind that in future I will restrain and be in charge of my mind and not be a victim of some outside invasions by unknown factors. I then implored and asked Him what should I write in my article as I had no creative ideas or imagination whatsoever nowadays because of mental fatigue. I could no longer push myself forward and required a helping hand. So He told me to read Bhagwad Geeta. I accepted his advice humbly without any drop of doubt or reluctance.

And just then, in a flash I recollected a dream that I saw in the early hours of morning about a year ago, when I and Babaji were walking up the stairs in a white house and my mind would get distracted again and once again and how Babaji would give me a helping hand (Ref- What is the purpose of my life?) Everything started falling in place in my translucent mind after it became sparky again by His Grace. In all humility I knelt down in my heart as a token of gratitude, reverence and thanksgiving. My mind was like a bright sunny morning and there was brightness everywhere. I sat in the same posture for quite long until I don’t know when. After that I read the Geeta and I was able to understand it so much better. I read chapter 6 with full attention and wish to quote just 3 verses out of them. I used to read them with great curiosity and interest in the past also and I still get very inspired by them.

Chapter 6

 Arjunauvach

Yoyam  yogastvaya  proktah  samyen  madhusudan  I

Atsyaaham  n a  pashyami chanchaltwastithim  sthirim  II 33

Arjuna said, Krishna, owing to restlessness of mind, I do not perceive the stability of this Yoga in the form of equanimity which you have just spoken of.

 Chanchalam  hi  manah  Krishna  pramathi  balvaddridham I

Tasyaham  nigraham  manye  vayoriv  sudushkaram  II 34

For Krishna, the mind is very unsteady, turbulent, tenacious and powerful; I consider it as difficult to control as the wind.

 Sri Bhagwanuvach

Asanshaya  mahabhaho  mano durnigraham  chalam  I

Abhyasen  tu  Kaunteya  vairagyen  ch  grihute II 35

Sri Bhagwan said: The mind is restless no doubt, and difficult to curb, Arjuna; but it can be brought under control by repeated practice of meditation for mind control and by the exercise of act of dispassion, O son of Kunti.

The following day when I was resting in the afternoon when the house and the whole surrounding was very still and quiet, very deep peace entered me. My whole house was radiating Divine Peace and for some time I was completely immersed in illuminating thoughts and peaceful vibrations. I was resting in my bed with complete sense of relaxation when a flash of Light struck me in the space between my eyebrows which then gently spread all over my eyes and head and I uttered, “I am Light, I am Joy, I am Ananda”

(To be continued)

Dear readers, in the last few days, many of us might have been immersed in the festive season but I was unable to work on and compose my post with full attention span and ease because of the blaring, boisterous noise of the Ganesh Utsav celebrations, a festival getting bigger and louder by each year in my neighbourhood. However, my namaskar and pranam to the Lord of buddhi, riddhi and siddhi to eliminate and remove all the obstacles and hurdles on our way to spiritual uprising and awakening for all of us.

The relentless  noise and crowd has not deterred me but has made me recognize the fact that we have two types of sadhana- the inner and the outer sadhana. Or antarmukhi sadhana and bahirmukhi sadhana respectively. The outer sadhana consists of rituals, ceremonies and many possible visible actions to appease and please the deities and God. Such a pooja, aradhana  or vandana is fine, it is so much better than doing any detrimental and immoral acts but the doer always has some wish, craving or fancy to fulfil, some type of yearning from the Lord and they in most cases are rewarded. (Refer What is the purpose of my life? )  The outer sadhana is easy to perform but the results and gains are diminutive, short term and perishable with no alteration in the person’s present level of wakefulness and consciousness. Years and years may pass by but the admirer or devotee of God and deities shows no signs of alertness, progress and transformation. On the contrary, the requests and wants multiply with each year.

On the other hand there is inner sadhana in which we cast, shape, train and discipline the wandering nomadic mind to be hushed, silenced and become desire-free. Instead of asking, one thanks and is appreciative and grateful to God for whatever one has. The aspirant by now knows that asking tangible material objects and fulfilling gratifying wishes are in no way an answer to his lingering complex life problems. Even though the inner sadhana is tougher but has very enduring, influential effects and then asking God to make us desire less is a difficult thing to ask conversely and it is no mean task by any standards. It is easier said than done I must agree. Praying to God for contentment and peace is a very wise, sane and a prudent thing to do as the wisdom of the sages goes.

Peace in the mind is sought after and achieved by the aspirant at the preliminary stage. Before he really embarks on the extensive, stretched and challenging spiritual journey, he is like any other regular person, one in the faceless millions. The average, worldly wise man wishes to possess, hoard, amass and consume tangible objects and they could be things, articles, objets d’art or money, wealth, fame, power, success etc.

Man has been given many incarnations to live by Mother Nature in order to develop and advance his soul to the state of higher perceptions, realizations and progressive living. (Read  The process of liberation to know how the soul gradually evolves on the ladder of human evolution) Because he resides in a physical body for too long during this process, he becomes accustomed to living in the physical encasement for a very long duration, his consciousness becomes gross and undivine. And contamination, corruption and other impurities are harboured in his mind during his physical tenement. All the time his mind is engaged in worldly pursuits and it is not joined and tied with divine awareness and untarnished realizations. Hence his mind knows no peace at all and is perpetually active in gain-loss, joy-sorrow, fortune-misfortune, birth-death etc activities .

In fact, all humans are looking for pleasure and delight in some enterprise, adventure and endeavour, not realising that his soul wants peace and not some other acquisitions as the primary requisite for his earthly survival. And if, by probing and introspection, one day when we do come to an understanding that it is not worldly happiness after all but stability and equanimity of mind that should be acquired first.

 Out of stability and equanimity is born peace.

And the sensory world is full of dualities, happiness and sorrow are two sides of the same coin and one has to undergo and experience both the feelings and emotions. Unfortunately, almost all of us do not ever realize it even once in our long life the importance of inculcating peace in our lives consciously like other efforts that we undertake.

But those seekers of peace and self- realization, on their way at a mature stage of advancement, do realize and it dawns on them that I must now not seek and run after impermanent outside happiness and gratifications but must attain permanent peace which comes from within. Hence the mind slowly quietens down and the old desires begin to fade away and die a slow death on its own. The mind seeks happiness and joy in pursuits of inward journey primarily. After which it becomes passive, reflective, and introspective and finds solace in gaining knowledge of self, deeper realizations, devotion, compassion and other such understated activities. And controlling one’s senses and the mind are the seeker’s favourite activities and liking now. The past wandering and restless mind is no longer asking or demanding things of the world as he is satisfied with his fate and is a content soul by now. On the contrary, he carries out actions which bring him relief from its non-stop agitation and restless activities of worldly pre-occupation, attachments and acquisitions. The mind becomes peaceful and is at rest with oneself. Hence we say “peace of mind”.

The ordinary person transforms into a sadhak as he seeks lasting peace. He turns his mind inwards and questions, seeks and finds his answers of self inquiry and dives to find inner peace within himself. At such a stage, the seeker is not yet above the dualities and pairs of opposites of this ever-changing momentary and brief- natured world. The ever-changing quality of the world, the duality of opposites, create agitation and disturbs his mind. The disturbance is also caused by the inevitable sanchit karmas (the previous lives’ accumulated, unmanifested karmas ) They are still manifesting in the ongoing life-stage and negative results of past karmas crop up again and again at set phases, thereby disturbing the equilibrium of his newly found peace. However, with the grace and help of the Spiritual Masters and blessings of heavenly deities, he is able to conquer and prevail over to reap the fruit of the backlog of his past sanchit karmas with considerable ease. As and as the unmanifested karmas begin to bear fruit, he becomes lighter and the mind becomes calmer and composed, because of the lessening of the weight of the load and deeper revelations. When all the sins and misgivings of all the previous lives are burnt to dead ashes, the soul involuntarily  comes to a stable, restful and relaxing state. To substantiate this, now let’s read the shlokas from Bhagwad Geeta

Chapter 7

Icchadweshsabuthen dwandmohen bharat

Sarvabhutani sammoham sarge yanti parantap 27

Oh valiant Arjuna, through delusion in the shape of pairs of opposites (such as pleasure and pain etc), born of desire and hatred, all living creatures in this world are falling a prey to infatuation.

Yesham twantgatam papam jananam punyakarmanam 

Te dwandmohanirmukta bhajante maam  dradhvrta 28

But those men of virtuous deeds, whose sins have come to an end, being freed from delusion in the shape of pairs of opposites (born of attraction and repulsion) worship Me with a firm resolve in every way.

Progressively, at one point, the mind becomes completely captivated and entrenched in God thoughts by the process of sublimation and gets finer and refined in its taste, likes and sensibilities. Nevertheless, at this last crucial stage also, there are a few left over vasanas (refer- How to have lasting peace within our hearts-I) of desires and egotism or self-centredness. As a kind gesture of grace, God permits and facilitates the fulfillment of all the remaining desires so that the soul is completely freed of all its bondage of previous actions. And after the blazing of all the desires, the last remaining remnants and impact of the severest enemy called ‘ego” in us is taken to task. The ego is the last enemy on the battle field to leave the jeeva or embodied soul after a prolonged battle of many, many lives. The delusion that “I am”, “I can”, “I will” , “I”, is very thin and the very fine thin subtle layers of “ego thought particles” sticking and covering one’s soul at last drops off  with considerable passage of time. To give you an example, let’s consider this.

If you have ever pealed a pod of garlic, you must have noticed that after peeling the thicker outer skin there is a very thin inner membrane which sticks to the single garlic piece. It is sticky, transparent and light  yet it doesn’t peel off easily and is of the same colour as the garlic. Similarly, the last remaining  egotism  is so well ingrained and entangled in our consciousness and nature, also called vasana that we are not sensitive towards it and aren’t aware of its presence at all. All the same, it exists and has to be separated to isolate the soul from its pervading blemishes and patchy and itchy impurities. Once this task is achieved, the soul eventually begins to glitter in its own radiance!

After the ego is shed, the duality of you and I, sorrow-happiness, bad-good, pure-impure etc evaporates as the mind is purified and cleaned by the seeker’s meritorious karmas and guru kripa. At this particular stage it is mandatory for the sadhak or spiritual aspirant to perform good meritorious karmas and selfless acts, deliberately and consciously, so that we do not sow and reap any ill effects or ill results at all in future. We must ensure that we perform only positive karmas to have a happy and harmonious life ahead. If we do so, nature is in our favour and there is no more suffering, hurdles, sickness perpetuating and invading us constantly. Even if some people wrong us, cheat us, or act with mean manipulations, we must not react and retaliate-this is the advice of the Gurus to us. After sometime those people suffer in many ways  in terms of physical, mental and emotional illness and deprivation, while our life is good in every sense. Good luck and nature will always side with people who are good at heart and pure in actions.

At such a higher stage of spiritual level of consciousness and vast knowing,  peace flows very gently and reaches us from very high subtle planes in the ether directly in our heart and is sublime and mellifluous to sense, feel and touch. It is very soothing, genteel and endearing in nature and cannot be exchanged with anything of this world, and  it is very, very precious.  It is awe-inspiring.

The quality and duration of peace at the mental level and the heart’s level is different. Peace is enduring and is received directly in the heart centre at this advanced and evolved stage because by this time the heart of the sadhak is completely purified by a long period of practice of saatvik pure karmas, meditation, chanting, japa, charity, love, compassion and service to mankind. There is no malice, grudge, revenge, envy, greed, pride or  materialistic desires remaining in him any longer. In place of all these unwanted things, there is a priceless gift of God presented to us in our heart and that gift is of permanent and lasting nature –It is lasting peace in our heart!.

It’s because the heart centre is purified and energized and it is the seat of the Lord- the giver of bountiful peace. Such a wonderful person is called a yogi, a person whose mind is always connected to and remains one with God. The yogi has peace at all times whether he is asleep or awake, working or resting although there may be a brief  period of ripples of mild perturbation from unexpected quarters, but he soon brings his attention where the Lord resides, i.e. in his heart and God talks to him and soothes his soul for all the abrasions caused by external agencies. The vibration of the aura of such a yogi is of deep calming peace which has a positive impact on other people’s mind and heart. He can convert people with his good conduct, behaviour, speech and selflessness. His speech is full of love and kindness and he is good to  everybody. He never retaliates in spite of someone being harsh, self-centred or hurtful. Instead he prays unselfishly for the wellbeing and happiness for all. The yogi is generous and pious and ever willing to help others in times of distress, any need and agony. And God always blesses such pious and devout souls. Saints, yogis and mahatmas fall in this category.

Lord Buddha

From the fountain of peace of the blissful yogi flows the  gushing  cool waters of  serenity, tranquility and joy.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Om.